The magical bindings that the Senior taught him were incredibly powerful, leaving Wade in awe.
According to her, this knowledge came from the Restricted Section at Hogwarts, and even the Somnolen family's library didn't have it.
"Alright, you should wake up now. It's already morning," Senior Sister said at last.
Wade nodded, but just as he was about to wake up, he noticed something odd...
"Umm.. Senior, why does it feel like the black mist around you is thicker than before?"
"No, it's always been like this..." her voice remained calm.
"No... I have a very good memory. I still remember what you looked like when I first met you. The way you are now... it's definitely different! So... how much time do you have left?"
"Haah.." The senior sighed. "You even noticed that... Even though it's really not that much different."
"You still haven't answered my question," Wade said calmly.
"I told you before, about two years... This cloak won't hold much longer. The residue will slowly seep out over time, so you'll feel the black mist growing thicker..."
Wade fell silent for a while, then finally said, "…On this point, I hope you won't lie to me. I don't want to watch you die with my own eyes."
"Why would I lie to you? Don't worry. I want to stay alive; I have no desire to die," Senior said.
"Alright..." Wade paused for a moment, then suddenly added, "You just mentioned that more residue has leaked out, right?"
"Yes. Are you planning to use it for research?"
"Not just research... I have some other plans for the residue as well..."
…
Wade opened his eyes. The dormitory was still dim.
Since the Slytherin dormitory was located under the lake, even if it was already morning outside, the lighting inside remained faint.
Wade didn't wake his sleeping roommates. In fact, he hadn't done so for some time now.
He took his toiletries from the cupboard and was about to head out.
"Wait..."
Wade turned around and saw Tom already sitting by his own bed, fully dressed.
"Oh? Tommy boy, what is it?"
"Ugh.. can you please stop calling me that?" Tom said in dismay as he climbed out of his bed.
"Oh? Too bad. The readers love it when I call you that."
"What? What readers?"
"Ah—Pay no mind to it, just tell me what you want."
"Umm.. well... I think we need to have a proper talk," Tom said in a low voice.
"Hmm, alright... then let's meet in the Great Hall later. We can talk over breakfast," Wade said as he walked out of the dormitory.
Tom frowned slightly. He reached toward Wade's nightstand, and Nagini slowly slithered up onto his arm.
Wade had indeed been acting strangely lately. Him becoming distant wasn't too surprising, but...
In the past, no matter where Wade went, he would always take Nagini with him. But now, it had been a while since he last did.
For the time being, Tom had been looking after Nagini.
Maybe... Wade was plotting something he didn't want anyone to know about?
Something that made it inconvenient to bring Nagini along?
…
Great Hall.
At the Slytherin table.
Wade was already sitting there, eating breakfast.
Tom sat down beside him, looking a bit preoccupied.
Seeing Tom arrive, Wade turned to Anne and said, "Anne, I have something I'd like to discuss with Tom alone..."
"Mn-hm." Although Anne was curious, she still nodded, picked up her breakfast, and moved to sit farther away with the others.
Tom placed Nagini on the table.
He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but for a long moment, he didn't know how to begin.
"Tom, if you think I've been a bit distant lately because of what happened with Abraxas, you're overthinking it."
Before Tom could even speak, Wade had already taken the initiative, which left Tom slightly stunned.
"I've been busy with some very important matters lately... and they're things only I can handle. For now, please continue taking care of Nagini for me."
As Wade spoke, he reached out his right index finger and gently tapped Nagini's head.
The transfiguration magic, reinforced by ancient magic, was strengthened once again on Nagini.
"Are you plotting something?" Tom couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, I'm plotting something. But I'm sorry, right now, I can't tell you the details," Wade said calmly.
Tom knew that if Wade had put it like that, then no matter how much he pressed, he wouldn't get an answer.
"Is there anything we need to do?" Tom asked tentatively.
He was trying to infer what Wade was plotting based on the instructions Wade gave them.
But Wade simply said, "You just need to do your own tasks well... Remember, focus on improving your strength as quickly as possible, and manage the S.M.A.S.H club properly. When the time is right, I'll come find you."
After saying that, Wade picked up his books and left, not giving Tom any further chance to ask questions.
"Improve strength quickly..." Tom carefully pondered Wade's words, not noticing that Anne had come back and sat beside him.
"Tom, how did your talk with Wade go?" Anne asked curiously.
"What do you mean?" Tom snapped out of his thoughts.
"I mean, you and Wade—how did it go? It still feels like he hasn't forgiven you," Anne said.
"Forgiven me? I don't even know what you're talking about, Anne..." Tom said with a frown.
"Huh? Isn't Wade ignoring you all this time because he hasn't forgiven you yet?" Anne asked, puzzled.
"Isn't he like that with everyone? Has he been talking more with you lately?" Tom replied impatiently.
Hearing this, Anne was stunned—because she realized Tom was right!
During this time, Wade hadn't just distanced himself from Tom—he seemed to have distanced himself from all of them!
"Wh-what's going on?" Anne asked.
Tom glanced at her, then shook his head. "He didn't tell me much, only said he's been very busy lately."
Tom knew that Anne had been sent by Grindelwald's side.
So, he didn't intend to say anything more to her.
But after failing to get any answers from Tom, Anne started thinking even more on her own.
Being busy wasn't strange—but it was strange that whatever he was busy with couldn't be shared with anyone.
Faced with something so against common sense, Anne naturally had to report it to Nurmengard!
...
That very night, Grindelwald received the intelligence Anne had sent.
"Hmm.. Distancing himself from others, busy with something alone?" Grindelwald weighed the words carefully.
If it had been anyone else, Grindelwald would have simply thought they were a bit antisocial.
But since it was Wade Reynolds... he had no choice but to be cautious.
The prophecy had shown that both Wade and Tom were crucial to the success or failure of Grindelwald's cause.
At the moment, Grindelwald still couldn't tell whether their impact on his ambitions would be positive or negative…
He had no choice but to remain alert—what if whatever Wade was busy with could affect his plans?
"The squad we sent into the Forbidden Forest—two members have gone missing," Vinda's voice came from the side, breaking his chain of thoughts.
_______
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and read two weeks ahead of WN at-
Patreon.com/Captain69